Firm Profile
photo

    We Represent People With:

  • Physical Disabilities and Impairments, Psychiatric and Mental Disorders, Bipolar, PTSD, Deafness, Blindness, HIV/Aids, Cancer, Epilepsy, Schizophrenia, Depression, Mental Retardation, Cerebral palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Herniated Disk, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Arthritis, Stroke, Seizures, Hepatitis, Heart and Lung disease, Meniere's Disease, Crohn's Disease, Colitis, L.B.S., Myasthenia Gravis, Severe Headaches and Sleep Disorders, Amputation, Vocational Disabilities, MRSA who have wrongfully been denied their benefits.
Home :: FAQ :: Social Security Disability Hearing

What are the rules on submitting evidence?

DO NOT SUBMIT DUPLICATE EVIDENCE.  This is a problematic and time consuming issue dealt with at the hearing level, and significantly delays preparation of cases for hearing.  Hearing office staff often spend several hours on any given case sorting out duplicate evidence.  The sooner a case is prepared and exhibited, the sooner the case can be scheduled.

  1. SUBMIT EVIDENCE AS FAR IN ADVANCE OF THE HEARING AS POSSIBLE, USING ELECTRONIC RECORDS EXPRESS. Up to 200 pages at one time can be faxed into the electronic folder using the fax number and bar code supplied with the Acknowledgment of Hearing notice.  However, we do recommend smaller submissions when possible (less than 30 pages), as smaller exhibits open more quickly.  Early submission (more than 10 working days before hearing) allows hearing office personnel to exhibit the evidence and ensures that the claimant’s copy of the file includes a copy of all the evidence that has been received.  It also gives the ALJ time to review all the evidence, and helps to ensure that all relevant evidence is timely provided to experts scheduled to appear at hearing. 

  2. BEFORE FAXING EVIDENCE, CHECK TO ENSURE THE EVIDENCE YOU ARE SUBMITTING MATCHES THE CLAIMANT. This simple precaution would significantly reduce the time hearing offices spend contacting representatives and re-associating evidence with the appropriate file.

  3. MAKE SURE THE BARCODE IS THE FIRST ITEM FAXED IN ORDER TO ENSURE PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF ALL RECORDS. If you do not have a barcode for a particular case, please ask the hearing office to provide you with one.  Bar codes may be photocopied and used more than once.

  4. SUBMIT A COVER LETTER WITH THE EVIDENCE IDENTIFYING WHAT IS BEING SUBMITTED AND THE DATE OF THE EVIDENCE. Submitting evidence with a cover letter and the dates of the evidence will assist hearing office staff in identifying duplicates and in exhibiting the records.

  5. AVOID SUBMITTING VOLUMINOUS EVIDENCE AT THE LAST MINUTE. This does not provide sufficient time for hearing office staff to associate the evidence with the file, or provide the ALJ and experts adequate time to review the evidence.

  6. WHEN FAXING EVIDENCE FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES INTO THE ELECTRONIC FOLDER, SEPARATE SOURCES BY PLACING A BAR CODE AS THE FIRST DOCUMENT FOR EACH SOURCE AND USBMIT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.  This assists hearing office staff in reviewing the evidence for duplicates and in exhibiting the records.

  7. DO NOT SUBMIT MEDICAL EVIDENCE WITH NON-MEDICAL DOCUMENTS SUCH AS APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE FORMS OR FEE AGGREMENTS.  Medical and non-medical documents should be submitted separately.  Because these documents are included in different sections of the folder, it requires more time to separate documents if they are submitted together.